Fire extinguisher



Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED sTA'rns PATENT OFFICE JAMES L. BERGGREN AND WILLIAM B. BERGGREN, or DENVER, COLORADO FIR-E EXTINGUISHER Application ined september 21, 1929. serial 110.394,326.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved fire extinguisher. Y

A further ob'ect of the invention is to provide an improved automatic lire extinguisher.

- A further object of the invention is to provide improved heat-operable means for the actuation of an automatic lire extinguisher.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved mounting and release mech- 1U anism for containers of fire extinguishing liquids.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide an improved construction of containerfracturing means to be employed with containers of fire extinguishing liquids.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus of the character described, including a fracturable container of fire extinguishing liquid and automatic,

" heat-operable means for fracturing said container and releasing said liquid. i

Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out `in, our claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved fire extinguisher' as assembled and positioned desired shape, said container being filled with any suitable fire extinguishing liquid and suitably sealed. The pear-shaped formV of the container illustrated is particularly adapted for use with the other elements of our invention, but it is to be understood that any shape, form or constructionV of liquid container may be employed to equal advantage with the other elements of the invention, so

long as it may be readily broken, and said container may be filled with any suitable liquid, the said liquid-filled container being common and well knownand in itself forming no part of the instant'invention.

In order to support the container 10,y a bracket plate llis formed, substantially as illustrated and preferably ofgreater length,

than said container, said plate 11 being proi vided with a hole 12 at its upper end whereby it may be conveniently supported and hung from a nail or'hook and being furtherprovided with a loop 13secured to said plate andV projecting at right angles therefrom adjacent the upper endpof said plate, so that, when the plate 11 is hung in vertical position the said loop 13 lies ina substantially hfyrizontal plane in position to receive and support the container 10, said loop 13 being of a diameter slightly less than that of said container so that the latter may be engaged by said loop and rest therein securely under the influence of gravity. A pair of spaced'lugs 111 project perpend'icularly from the surface of the plate- 11 onopposite sides of the longitudinal'median line of said plate and inhorizotnal alinement transversely thereof opposite the lower end of the container 10. A pin 15 connects the lugs 14 and pivotally supports a hammer" 16 between said lugs and depending vertically along the plate 11, the free end of the hammer 16 being enlarged and preferably Y formed as a wedge to enhance its breaking effect under impact. A wire spring 17 is formed with a central offset engaging behind the shaft of the hammer 16, the freelends of the spring 17 being wound about the pin 15 on'opposite sides of said hammer and bearing against the plate 11 in such manner as to normally urge the hammer 16 away from the I plate 11. Parallel, similar pins 18 and 19 are formed on the lower ends of the plate 11 and hammer16, respectively, and afusible link 20 is formed with holes adapted to receive the pins 18 and 19, so that, when the hammer 16 is pressed toward the `plate 11 against the pressure of the spring 17 and the link 2O mounted on the pins 18 and 19, the normal pressure of the spring17 holds the said link f on said pins as shown in Figures 1 .l 3 and 4.

ln the practical operation of the improved lire extinguisher, the elements being assembled and arranged as shown in Figure l, any tire breaking out in the immediate vicinity of the extinguisher unit will fuse and destroy the link 20, thus releasing the hammer 16 and permittingsaid hammer to be swung upwardly through a vertical arc toa sharp impact between the wedge end of said hammer and a point on the container l0, breaking said container and releasing the liquid therein to attack and smother the lire. When any extinguisher unit has been used and discharged its liquid, it may readily be recharged by simply inserting a new container in the loop 13 and mounting a new link on the pins 18 and 19. Any number of complete extinguisher units may beemployed to give the. degree of protection desired and the unitsmay conveniently be moved about from one location to another as the lire hazardvaries.

. lSince modifications and changes in the form and arrangement of the elements of the invention may be had without departing from the spirit of the invention, wewish to be understood as being limited solely bythe sco-peA of the appended claims rather than by the specific illustrative showing and foregoing description.

'Ve claim as'our invention- 1. An automatic lire extinguisher comprising a fiat plate, a. loop fixed adjacent one end of said plate .and defining a plane transversely of and perpendicular to the plane of said plate, a frangible, liquid-filled container seated in and supported by said loop, a striker hinged tosaid plate in position to be swung against said container, spring means engaging said plate and striker whereby the latter is normally urged against said'container, similar pins in corresponding relation on said plate and striker and a fusible link formed with spaced holes loosely'engaging said pins whereby said striker may be positioned and held adjacent said pl-ate and out of contact with said container against the pressure of said spring means.

2. An automatic fire extinguisher comprising a flat plate, a. hole adjacent one end of said plate whereby the latter may be supported in vertical hanging position, a loop fixed to said plate adjacent said hole and defining a plane transversely of and perpendicular to the plane of'said plate, a frangible, liquid-filled container seated in and supported by said loop in spaced relation with said plate, a striker hinged tosaid plate in iosition to be swung against and break said container, spring means engaging said plate and striker whereby the latter is normally urged against said container, pins projecting longitudinally from said plate and striker in spaced, parallel relation whensaid striker is positioned against said plate and a fusible link engaging said pins to hold said striker adjacent said plate against the pressure oflarly from and transversely of said plate, a

frangible, liquid-filled container seated in and supported by said loop, a striker hinged to said plate in position to be swung against said container, spring means engaging said plate andstriker whereby the latter is normally urged against said container and means including a fusible link engaging pins on said plate and striker whereby the latter may be positioned and held adjacent said plate against the pressure of said spring means.

Li. In an automatic fire extinguisher having a frangible, liquid-filled container adapted to be broken forthe release of its liquid contents, container, .supporting and breaking means comprising a plate adapted to be hung on a suitable support in vertical position, a container seat on said plate in the form of a loop extending perpendicularly from and transversely of said plate, spaced lugs on and perpendicular to said plate, a pin connecting said lugs, an arm hinged at one end to said pin and depending therefrom, a striker on the free end ofA said arm, a spring wound about said pin. on each side of `vsaid arm and formed with a loop engaging behind said arm and free ends engaging said plate, whereby saidA arm is normally urgedthrough an upward arc to bring its striker into breaking engagement with said container, pins projecting longitudinally from the free end of said arm andthe lower end of said plateand a fusible link formed with spaced holes to receive said pins and hold said arm adjacent said plate against the pressure of said spring.

5. In an automatic fire extinguisher having a bracket plate formed with ar transverse, perpendicular loop and a frangible, liquidfilled container seated in said loop, heatoperable means for the automatic breaking of said container to release its liquid contents, said means comprising spaced lugs on and perpendicular to said plate, a pin connecting said lugs, an arm hinged at one end to and depending from said pin, a striker on the free end of said arm, spring means engaging said plate, pin and arm whereby the latter is normally urged through a vertical arc to `bring its striker intoY breakingY engagement with said container, pins projecting longitudinally from the free end of said striker' arm .and the lower end of said plate and a Jfusible link formed with spaced holes to receive said pins and hold said arm adjacent said plate against the pressure'of said spring means.

Signed at Denver, in the county'of Denver and State of Colorado, this twenty-third day of August, 1929.

' JAMES L. BERGGREN.

WILLIAM B. BERGGREN. 

